Edison Chouest Offshore is planning to open a new shipyard in Houma, La., similar in size and scope to its existing Houma yard--North American Fabricators.

The yard would be located on a 144 acre site owned by Chouest at Dickson Road, Houma, at the intersection of the Houma Navigation Channel and Munson Slip.

A report on HoumaToday.com quotes Chouest spokesman Lonnie Thibodeaux as saying:"We are actively pursuing a new shipbuilding opportunity in Houma."

"All the pieces of the economic puzzle have not all come into place yet," Thibodeaux is quoted as saying, noting that negotiations with state and parish officials are at a sensitive and critical stage.

Thibodeaux is also quoted as saying that Chouest hopes to make an announcement on construction of the yard "within weeks" and that it would employ 750 to 1,000 workers "not necessarily immediately, but in the fairly short-term."